People often ask me what my work day is like. I don’t think that the working writer concept is as foreign as it used to be. Entrepreneurism is more commonplace even within the realm of the arts (graphic art, writing, etc). But some non-writers are curious about just what the creatives do all day. Even writers want to know how other writers manage their work. With this in mind, I thought I’d share a little about one of my typical busy days in the office.
While I started out writing 36 years ago in a corner of my bedroom with a kitchen chair, small desk and borrowed manual typewriter comprising my “cubicle,” I now have a full-blown office with way too much paper. And I come to work here, along with my two cats, Max and Sophie, daily. A lot happens in this office. This is where we get creative and where the business decisions are made. This is my writing room, meeting place, warehouse and shipping department. So what goes on here on a typical day?
Yesterday I handled the following:
• Wrote a new post for this blog.
• Fielded three SPAWN member’s questions—two membership questions and one about distribution.
• Arranged meetings with two clients, which included several email discussions about the topics we would discuss, etc.
• Sent announcements to my addressbook regarding the new illustrated version of Catscapades, Tales of Ordinary and Extraordinary Cats.
• Negotiated with an editor regarding an article to be published soon.
• Sent a job opportunity that I happened across to a writer friend in St. Louis.
• Talked to a local writer about an upcoming writer’s workshop.
• Talked to a potential client on the phone for about 30 minutes.
• Evaluated two book projects for authors and wrote detailed recommendations for each.
• Sent two clients new information I happened across regarding publishers for their work.
• Went into the shipping department and prepared about a dozen books for shipping.
• Did a little bookwork with regard to the books sold.
• Drove to the post office and shipped books.
• Picked up a few supplies downtown.
• Cleaned house in preparation for a client meeting.
• Logged a check that came in the mail.
• Retrieved more computer-generated book orders.
• Contacted one customer to clarify her order.
Yup, I’m a writer, but this day left no time for any kind of creative writing and this is common for me now that I am working with other writers. My writing consists of responses to questions, evaluation reports, promo material for my books, a few articles here and there and my blog posts. Oh how I love this blog. It keeps me writing while still, hopefully, helping other freelance writers and authors succeed.
Are you a fulltime writer or a serious author? How do you spend your days? We’d all like to
know.
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publishing. If you are a writer or hopeful author and you want to be published, you will find my books extremely useful. Check them out at: http://www.matilijapress.com